Swim Free! Beginners Program
by Jenefur
Summary: "I hate swimming." Souta is a boy who is learning how to swim. And it doesn't help that his coaches are weird. Post-series story about a boy coming to terms with why he is swimming with the help of Coach Nanase and Olympic Swimmer Matsuoka Rin. Loosely Based off of Spoon 2Di interview


_Iwatobi Swim Club Announcement Form_

_Summer Season is Here! Welcome back Swimmers!_

_Pool access schedule: July 28__st__ thru August 2__nd_

_Mon-Thurs 8am-6pm_

_Fri 8am-5pm_

_Sat-8am-8pm_

_Sun- CLOSED_

_Iwatobi "Swim Free!" Program for beginners is currently in its second week, but is always looking for new members! Learn to swim in our 5-week course! Contact Coach Sasabe and sign up with us today!_

"I hate swimming."

"Ahh Souta, we've been through this already."

Souta sank deeper into the car seat, his black hair falling over his eyes. His hands fiddled with the seat belt that lay across his chest and his green eyes shifted nervously, looking out of the window.

It was hot today, hotter than yesterday, so he knew his wishes for a sudden rainstorm or snow warning to hit Iwatobi would go unheeded. He glanced out of the passenger seat window and sank even further into his seat when he saw the swim club come into view.

As his mother pulled in front of the club, Souta felt the familiar swell of anxiety well up in his chest. He didn't _want_ to be here. Even looking at the building, with it's blue walls and smiling cartoon dolphin logo, made him feel sick His mouth curled up to a slight pout and he looked down at his knees.

"Souta," his mother murmured, putting the car into park. "The program has only been going on for a week. It can't be that bad. You're the one who wanted to sign up for this."

"I know." Souta said sullenly, glaring down at his knees slightly.

"So what's the problem?"

Souta didn't answer. He shifted in his seat a bit and turned his head to glance out at the blue building. The gray dolphin painting on the side of the building smiled brightly at him, it's fin painted in a way that seemed to be beckoning him inside. Souta felt like it was mocking him.

His mother sighed slightly beside him, gently strumming her hands against the wheel.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. No one is forcing you", his mother said, facing the rode ahead of them. "I can go in there and take you out of the program right now, if that's what you want."

It was what Souta wanted. He wanted to go home, put some regular clothes on and never see this building again.

But…his brother…

_'I'll be back for winter break! Be sure you can swim by then, kid!'_

Souta clenched his hands tightly against his knees before he moved to remove his seat belt.

"I'm going."

He felt his mother turn to him and when he looked up at her, she was smiling.

"I'll be here at 5 to pick you up!"

"Yeah" Souta called out lightly, exiting the car, his bag slung over his shoulder as he made his way into the swim club.

"Souta!"

He turned slightly, looking back to his mother as she called out to him from the car.

"Try to have some fun."

And with that, she pulled out of the parking space and was gone.

'Yeah', Souta thought sourly, his lips slightly twisting on his face as he walked through the swim club doors, '_fun_.'

It wasn't that he didn't like the idea swimming. When he was younger, he and his older brother were in the water all the time, playing around the beach that surrounded their house. And when his brother would dive in, going far out into the waves, Souta would sit by the waters edge, waves gently lapping at his toes as he watched his brother pull farther and farther away.

His brother would always try to pull him into the water, get him to swim with him, but he always refused. His parents had tried as well, encouraging him to be "Just like your big brother", but he never took to it.

It wasn't even the water itself that made him hesitate. The water coming to shore always seemed safe to him. It was something clear and calm, something he trusted to take care of his brother as he went further and further in. Even now, at eleven, when he goes out the stand at the water's edge, a sense of fear never took hold of him when he looked out along the shoreline.

It was just the _movement_ that he didn't like; the clambering of limbs, the frantic pushing and pulling, the way you had to keep your head submerged and down, only to bring it back up again at a moments notice.

Swimming was too _demanding _and it confused him to no end that his brother had decided to dedicate his life to it.

'Brother…' Souta thought idly, as he loaded his things into the clubhouse locker room. His brother had recently left to the United States, after receiving a full scholarship to a swim at a college in California. He had gone halfway around the world just to try and grasp at a chance to swim competitively for the rest of his life.

It was this water-devoted brother that wanted to be able to swim with him when he came back.

"Souta!" Souta heard next him, just as he finished putting his change of clothes away. He turned and was greeted by Taisuke, a boy in the beginning swimmers program with him. He had known Taisuke since they were kids, attending the same nursery and schools since they were babies. When he told Taisuke that at the end of the year that he would be joining the swim club, he jumped at the chance and signed up right along with him.

"I didn't think you were coming today", Taisuke said bumping into Souta's arm as they made their way out towards the pool.

"Yeah" Souta said mildly. He still wasn't entirely happy about being there either.

"Well I'm glad you decided to come anyhow!" Taisuke said, smiling widely in his direction, wind waving his brown hair as he pushed the door leading to the outdoor pool open.

As they made their way out to the pool, Souta glinted slightly, the sun's rays flashing into his eyes.

The club itself, despite its giant smiling dolphin insignia, was a tremendously well-kept facility. The locker room had brand new, wall-to-wall lockers, an indoor shower area complete with individual dressing areas, and the lounge inside had multiple seating sections, as well as a plasma screen television mounted on the wall in the center of the room. The pool, a singular swimming pool divided into 8 individual lanes, was kept in pristine condition. The water was temperature regulated and went through maintenance once a week on Sundays. Souta, despite his reservations about getting into the water, couldn't disagree that the swimming club itself was a swimmers paradise.

But it really couldn't have looked any other way, as the club had only been open for about 2 years.

"So", Taisuke remarked as they stood out on the pool's edge. Souta looked down and could see their reflections being mirrored back at them on the surface of the water.

"You planning on actually swimming today?" Taisuke said teasingly, a sly grin taking over his face as he pressed his elbow into Souta's side.

"Shut up," Souta said, pushing him away slightly, his gaze still focused on the water. The queasy feeling in his stomach hadn't left him and seemed to get even stronger at the thought of going in the water with the other kids in the program.

And it certainly didn't help that the coaches teaching the beginner _Swim Free!_ program were so _weird_.

The other coach that Souta had seen working at the club was fine. Coach Takahashi, a young man who seemed as though he had just gotten out of college, was ok. He ran the Junior Lifeguard Program at the swim club and could always been seen at the side of the pool during recreational swim, watching to the other swimmers and yelling at people who ran on the outskirts of the pool.

But it was the other two coaches, the two running the very program that Souta was in, that he just didn't get at all.

Coach Sasabe, the older of the two coaches, looked like he just jumped out of a J-pop band rather than someone who should be teaching swimming. He had bright blonde hair, with brown designs on the side of his head, and earrings that jingled around when he talked. He always seemed to be yelling, even when you were standing right in front of him and he would bark out laughing at the most random times, even if no one had said anything funny. There was even an ongoing rumor at the club that he used to work at a place delivering pizza.

But while Coach Sasabe was outlandish and loud, Coach Nanase was the exact opposite.

Coach Nanase, the actual owner of the Iwatobi Swim Club, never seemed as though he ever said anything. And when he did talk, his instructions were vague and non-descript. He seemed much more focused on the water than the students he was teaching and in the first week of the program, as Coach Nanase watched people swim, Souta could hear him muttering brief advice like "work with the water" or "don't fight it, let it flow through you." It baffled Souta that Coach Nanase would think that that advice was even _remotely_ helpful when learning to swim.

Yet, with his own reluctance to swim with these coaches at the forefronts of his mind, the other people at the club seemed to _love _them. Especially Coach Nanase.

Souta turned his head and could see Coach Nanase now, surrounded by some of the older students. They were all eagerly talking to him, trying to get his attention, which, per usual it seemed, was focused entirely on the water in front of him.

"Why do they like him so much?" Souta murmured to himself quietly, watching the boys all flock over to Coach Nanase, trying to get him to give them personal tips.

"Because", Taisuke said, rolling his eyes as Souta turned his attention back to him "Coach Nanase swam with Matsuoka."

Matsuoka Rin. The Olympic competitor and current star of the summer. Matsuoka had made a household name for himself after gaining his spot on the Japanese Olympic Team, crushing a tournament record with his butterfly performance. His entrance to the team, as well as his numerous interviews and appearances on television had almost doubled the interest in swimming that summer. And with the 2020 Olympics games currently happening in Tokyo, the need to "swim like Matsuoka" had etched itself into the minds of Japanese youth.

"He swam with him?" Souta said, his eyes widening slightly as he turned back to look at Coach Nanase. No wonder they were all swarming around him…

"Not just that", Taisuke said his gaze following Souta's, "he_ trains_ with him. Matsuoka even said that Coach Nanase is the only one he'll train with!"

Souta looked over to Coach Nanase, who had finally made his way away from the badgering group of swimmers around him, and saw him dive straight into the water, arching his body and curving into the surface of the pool.

Souta, despite his own lack of interest in swimming, could see that Coach Nanase really was a beautiful swimmer, someone his brother would probably admire.

'If he swims like that', Souta thought watching Coach Nanase glide through water, 'why is he teaching people to swim?'

"Alright kids!" Souta glanced around, startled, as Coach Sasabe's voice rang out across courtyard, "Let's all follow Coach Nanase's lead. Into the water!"

Souta bit back a sigh as people went clambering into pool.

"Don't worry," Taisuke said beside him, slinging his arm over his shoulders, "it'll be fun!"

"Right" Souta said, a slight scowl settling on his face. The feeling in his chest came back to him full force, as he made his way into the pool.

By the end of the session, Souta had managed to dog paddle from one side of the pool to the other and successfully floated on his back.

* * *

_Iwatobi Swim Club Announcement Form_

_Week three of Swim Free! beginners program has just begun! Get out there and find your personal stroke!_

_Junior Lifeguard training has changed hours! Now will be held at 9am sharp! Contact Coach Takahashi if you have any questions about joining the program!_

_Pool Access Schedule : August 4__th__ thru August 9__th_

_Mon-Thurs 8am-6pm_

_Fri 8am-5pm_

_Sat-8am-8pm_

_Sun- CLOSED_

"Well…you're doing better than last week!"

Souta held up his head and glared slightly at Taisuke who was looking down at him from the edge of the pool.

There were a lot of things that Souta was doing in the water. Swimming better was certainly not one of them.

"I don't know what's wrong." Souta thought bitterly, turning in the water away from Taisuke, gripping onto the lane dividers.

This week, the Coaches were teaching them the different strokes of swimming. Or at least Coach Sasabe had been teaching them the different strokes. Coach Nanase was only focused on teaching freestyle, and with his status as "the guy who Matsuoka Rin trains with" cemented at the club, all the beginners were flocking over to him.

By learning all the different strokes, Coach Sasabe had relayed, they would be able to figure out which style suited them the best.

But for Souta, it seemed just getting one stroke, _any _stroke down was the main issue.

"I'm not getting this," South grumbled glaring down at the water. Every attempt to get his body to move in a specific manner ended with him sinking to the bottom to the pool.

"Keep trying!" he heard Taisuke say behind him, and without turning around, Souta could tell he was smiling.

For some reason, this made him even more frustrated.

"Why are you even here?" Souta said turning to face him, "You already know how to swim. You don't need to be here."

Taisuke regarded him silently for a moment before he shrugged a shoulder.

"Because you're here."

Souta glanced up at him before moving his head to the side.

"…just watch me and tell me what I'm doing wrong."

He heard Taisuke laugh briefly and say "Will do!" as he dove back into the water.

Before he even begins to move, Souta can feel that something isn't right.

His moves aren't fluid. He feels his hands slapping against the water, can hear the pounding of his heart reverberating in his own head. He's not taking in enough air when he brings his head up and water is flooding into his goggles.

As he reaches the midway lane divider and turns back toward Taisuke, he can feel himself being dragged down.

When he's back to the side, his head shoots up and he's breathing faster than he should be. He didn't swim that far, not even half way to the other side of the pool, but he feels as though he's swam a whole mile.

His hands grip the edge of the pool tightly as he tries to catch his breath.

"So" he pants out, turning his head upwards, "What am I doing wrong?"

But when his vision focuses and his breathing evens out, he sees that Taisuke is not the only one waiting for him at the edge of the water.

Coach Nanase is looking down at him, his expression blank. His eyes almost seem to be piercing through him and he feels himself start to squirm a bit under his gaze.

He's half expecting a vague piece of advice to come out of Coach Nanase's mouth, something like "feel the water" or "be one with your stroke."

But when Coach Nanase speaks, he gets something else entirely.

"Who are you swimming for?"

Suddenly, Souta's mind goes blank as he stares up at Coach Nanase's face. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Taisuke send Coach a curious glance as well.

"What?" Souta says as he continues to stare up at Coach Nanase. Nanase's eyes had never lost their focus and Souta can almost see his own reflection being mirrored in his blue irises.

"Who are you swimming for?" Coach Nanase repeats, still looking down at him.

"I… uh.." Souta fumbles, pulling his eyes away and glancing down at the water.

Who was he swimming for? Why did that matter?

He's about to ask, when an older swimmer comes bounding out of the lounge.

"Matsuoka's about to swim!"

With that, a wave of energy flows through the pool and Souta watches as everyone springs out of the water and into the lounge.

Coach Nanase eyes have finally left him and Souta watches, confused, as he turns away and makes his way into the lounge with everyone else.

"Come on." He turns and sees Taisuke's hand in front of his face, reaching down to pull him out of the water.

"Let's go watch the great champ race!"

* * *

When they head into the lounge, everyone is talking wildly and people are sitting on every flat surface they can find. He and Taisuke join a bunch of other swimmers on the floor and snippets of the surrounding conversation hit his ear.

"They've already qualified for the relay events, but this is the individual…"

"It's his first time swimming at the Olympics, do you think he can…"

"He said he only trains with Coach Nanase, but Coach has been here. What do you think that means…"

As he shifts his head to look around at the talking swimmers, Coach Nanase catches his eye.

He is standing in the back, farther from the screen then everyone else, leaning against the wall connecting to the central club office. His eyes are focused on the ground and are closed, as if he's trying to drown out all the noise.

Coach Takahashi is up near the front trying to get everyone to calm down, while Coach Sasabe fiddles with the television remote, attempting to turn up the volume.

"If he wins this race," Taisuke murmurs next to him, "he'll be in the individual final."

Coach Sasabe finally finds to volume button and aims it at the television.

The television blares, the announcer on the screen saying "And here is Matsuoka Rin hailing from…"

With that, the room becomes silent. Everyone's attention is focused on the screen in front of them, watching as Matsuoka Rin is introduced as the representative from Japan and takes his starting position.

While everyone looks up at the screen, Souta's eyes shift back to Coach Nanase. He's no longer looking at the floor. His eyes are intensely focused at the television and seem to be intent on watching every move Matsuoka makes. His eyes seem to be glimmering. There's something about his gaze that seem both anxious and excited, with something else bubbling underneath.

Souta has never seen anyone's eyes look like that before.

"Swimmers on your mark." The television speaks, breaking Souta's gaze from Coach Nanase back to it. Everyone is the room is tense.

"Set"

There's a pause and he sees that all of the older swimmers, Coach Sasabe and Takashi included, are subconsciously leaning forward as if they are on the mark.

"Go!"

A quick dive and Matsuoka is off, swimming furiously in the pool. The announcers are speaking, giving play by play of strokes and movements, but Souta can't hear them, he can only watch, watch as Matsuoka is soaring through the water, bypassing a swimmer, then another, then another.

Suddenly, he's at the turn and everyone in the room is moving forward, inching closer and closer with him, no one is breathing, no one is thinking, just frozen, frozen in the view that is Matsuoka Rin-

And now, they're at the wall.

"He's done it!" The announcer screams loudly, "Matsuoka Rin has done it!"

The room explodes with energy, swimmers screaming and yelling, throwing their hands up in the air because a swimmer from Japan has qualified for the final.

The room is buzzing as Taisuke springs up and embraces him, exuberantly yelling in his ear and Souta is laughing and cheering along with him.

With a smile, he turns towards the back of the room, eyes searching for Coach Nanase.

But when he looks back, Coach Nanase is not there.

* * *

_Iwatobi Swim Club Announcement Form_

_Olympic Butterfly 100m Final TODAY!_

_Let's Go Matsuoka Rin! Join in us in the lounge to see if the homegrown star can take the gold!_

_Swim Free! beginners program is now in its 4__th__ week! Hone your skill! Show your friends a sight they've never seen before!_

_Pool access will be closed to general public due to Club tournament on Friday August 15__th__ and Saturday August 16__th__. If you'd like to participate in the tournament or if you'd like to check your eligibility please contact Coach Sasabe._

_Pool Access Schedule: August 11__th__-August 16__th_

_Mon-Thurs 8am-6pm_

_Fri CLOSED due to tournament_

_Sat-CLOSED due to tournament _

_Sun- CLOSED_

"Are you just going to float on your back the entire time?"

Souta clenched his eyes slightly as he felt a splash of water next to him. He was laid out on the water, sun pressing down on his face as he idly floated, letting the water take him wherever it wanted.

It was relaxing, floating like this, not having to worry about what stroke to use or how to breathe or whether or not he was going to run into someone in the lane next to him.

Just being able to _be _in the water. It was nice.

"Why not?" he said sluggishly, opening one eye to glance at Taisuke in the lane next to him.

"It's not like I'm getting better at this "swimming a certain stroke" thing. I can swim now. I can successfully say that I will not die in the water. Why try for anything else?"

"But you're wasting so much time just floating there!" Taisuke said disgruntledly, diving under the lane divider into his lane. "You should be trying more."

Souta lifted his hand dismissively, closing his eyes again. Just floating in the water like this was so much easier than having to _try_.

He hears Taisuke huff next to him and he opened his eyes again to look at him. Taisuke's face was turning a pinkish color and he looked like he was trying to hold back the urge to pout.

It was almost… cute.

"You should figure out who you're swimming for."

"What does that even mean?" Souta said, finally moving up to a vertical position. The water hitting his dry chest made him shiver a bit, as he turned his gaze to Taisuke.

"It means having a focus. A motivation. Something that is driving you to do this!"

"Oh really?" Souta said dryly, quirking up his eyebrow a bit. "Since when did you become an expert at this?"

"It's what all of the pros say that you should do," he said nodding his head as if to further assure him. "Matsuoka Rin himself said in an interview that he swims for someone! And that's been working out pretty well for him!"

"Ah," Souta said, his lips shifting up bemusedly at him. Taisuke really was quite a character. "Who are you swimming for then?"

Taisuke grew quiet for a moment, as if confused as to why he asked.

"Well, you obviously."

Souta felt his eyes widen and suddenly the inside of his mouth felt very dry.

"What?"

"Well…yeah." He said shrugging his shoulders a bit. "I'm swimming for you. So you wouldn't be by yourself. Why else would I join this program? I already know how to swim." He dived under the water then and rose up back to the lane next to him.

"So" Taisuke said, shaking his head a bit, "you have to figure out why you're swimming too! Or else you'll never be able to swim any kind of stroke at all."

And with that, he was off, breast-stroking to the other side of the pool.

Souta watched him swim briefly before he returned to his position, floating on his back.

He closed his eyes again, feeling the heat of the sun beneath his eye lids.

Who was he swimming for? Was he swimming for anyone?

He knew he was swimming because of his brother but… was he swimming _for_ him? Or was it something else?

Why did he go through all this trouble with swimming to begin with?

Souta pulls himself up from his floating position and rubbed his eyes. The sun light was starting to give him a headache.

"Everyone!" a voice sounded from the door to the club.

Immediately, everyone stopped swimming and focused their attention to the person at the door.

"It's time!"

* * *

The energy in the room is different than last time.

No ones talking. There are no questions floating in the air, no comments about "whether or not" this or this will happen. Everyone is just sitting. Watching. Waiting for something to happen.

He and Taisuke are on the floor again, sitting in the same spots they were last time. As he looks up at the screen, he can feel Taisuke next to him, legs shaking nervously as he focuses on the television.

Coach Sasabe and Coach Takashi are in front again, both focused on the television. Unlike last time, they seem to be just as intent on watching the screen as everyone else, neither of them moving around to look at anything else.

Souta's eye gaze to the back of the room and finds Coach Nanase, standing in the same spot near the clubhouse office. He's not looking at the floor this time. His eyes are intently focused on the screen as if there is nothing else, _no one_ else besides the man they are all waiting for to appear on television.

And then he's there, Matsuoka Rin, taking his position with the other swimmers.

The announcer on the television talks briefly about Matsuoka before the camera pans to another person, an American named Wilson, who is said to be the favorite for today's final. The announcer mentions that he comes from a swimming club from a college in California.

Souta wonders if he knows his brother.

"Swimmers on your mark."

The voice sounds and everyone in the room is watching.

"Set"

There's no movement this time from the older swimmers, just focused eyes and bated breath.

"Go!"

He's in the water and Souta feels like he's in the water too.

Everything's moving fast, faster than he was expecting and Matsuoka and Wilson are pulling ahead of the pack.

Its just them two now, no one else seems to be in the water, as Matsuoka and Wilson pull into the turn. They're swimming fast, faster than Souta has ever seen anyone swim and they're neck and neck, they're right at each other, each stroke being answered by another stroke.

It comes down to the wall. As they hit it, Souta feels Taisuke grab his hand and squeeze.

"They're so close, too close to tell, we have to wait for the time and….It's Matsuoka! Matsuoka has come on top! Matsuoka takes gold for Japan!"

Someone in the room cries out and the room is flooded with noise. Everyone is yelling, yelling much louder than the pre-final heat.

People around him are hugging and screaming and throwing their hands in the air and he is one of them, latching onto to Taisuke as he comes to hug him, voice sounding loudly in his ear. From Taisuke's grip, he eyes turn to the front of the room and Coach Takashi is yelling, running around everywhere, grabbing people and lifting them up in excitement. Coach Sasabe is sitting in one of the chairs, head down, smile etched on his face. He looks as though he might be crying.

He pulls back slightly out Taisuke's grip and though Taisuke lets go, an arm remains draped over his shoulder as he screams loudly like everyone else.

Souta looks around towards the back of the room, eyes searching once more for Coach Nanase.

But Coach Nanase is not there.

* * *

"My mom's taking you home today right?"

"Yeah. Let me just go get something. I think I left my towel in the lounge. Wait out front and I'll meet you out there."

Souta walks into the lounge, eyes looking around for his towel. The room still contained evidence of the event that had taken place hours before. Cups and bottles and water drops were everywhere and there still seemed to be a hint of that energy that was in the room when everyone was inside.

Souta can almost feel that same excitement still bubbling within himself.

Looking around, he spots his towel sitting on a table next to the clubhouse office door. Souta grabs it and turns to leave the room when he a noise from the office causes him to stop.

Shuffling forward slightly, Souta peers in the office room and sees Coach Nanase sitting in an office chair, leaning back, with his feet displayed out over the office desk.

He's on the phone and Souta can hear that who ever he is on the phone with is talking a lot.

The voice clambers on and on and Souta can tell, as he inches closer to the door, that they're talking very fast.

Souta looks at Coach Nanase's face and notices that he doesn't seem bothered by the loud, frantic talking on the other end of the line. Coach is sitting back, phone cradled to his ear, and his eyes are closed, intently closed as if he's trying to take in everything to other person is saying.

He is listening to the person on the phone like there is no one else worth listening to.

Souta sees this in his closed eyes and relaxed posture and suddenly feels as though he is interrupting something.

"Souta what are you doing?"

Souta jerks back, away from the door, towel almost tumbling out of his hands.

Taisuke is standing behind him with a confused look on his face.

"I was …uh…" Souta says lamely, a flush taking over his face. He looks down and remembers his towel. "Uh.. my towel! I was getting my…towel?"

Taisuke stares at him hard before bemusedly shaking his head.

"Well you got it so let's go!"

"Uh yeah."

Later, after Taisuke drops him off at his house, Souta reminds himself never to forget anything in the lounge ever again.

* * *

_Iwatobi Swim Club Announcement Form_

_Special Guest Visiting today! Make sure your camera ready!_

_Swim Free! beginners program in its final week! Congratulations new swimmers! Take what you've learned and show the world what you can do!_

_Winners of the club tournament can pick up their trophies in Coach Nanase's office starting Wednesday August 20__th__! Congrats to the winners!_

_Pool Access Schedule: August 18__th__ –August 22__nd_

_Mon-Thurs 8am-6pm_

_Fri 8am-5pm_

_Sat-8am-8pm_

_Sun- CLOSED_

Five weeks of seeing him swim on television and suddenly he's there.

Matsuoka Rin, Olympian and gold medal winner, standing before him, talking to the members of the Iwatobi Swim Club. It was quite a shock to all the swimmers when he strolled in through the doors, but he acted like it was something that he had done everyday.

Coach Nanase stands behind him as Matsuoka speaks the room about "keeping your goals", "maintaining your focus", and, above all, "having fun."

Souta feels a swell of something he can't identify when he hears Matsuoka speak. It feels like pride. It feels like joy and excitement, too.

He wonders if this is how his brother feels about swimming.

They spend their last swim session in the program being taught by Matsuoka. All the older swimmers crowd these sessions, pinning at him, trying to get him to look at their stroke, or offer some advice.

Despite how Souta thought he might have reacted, Matsuoka is surprising patient with all of them, giving them pointers and watching them swim.

Its enough to almost make Souta ask if he would look at what he was doing wrong.

Almost.

While Matsuoka spent the his time at the club completely submerged in the water, Coach Nanase, surprisingly, did not. While usually he would be the one first diving into the pool, Coach Nanase seemed to hold back, contenting himself to stand on the sidelines, watching Matsuoka work.

It was surprising, to say the least, to Souta that Coach wouldn't be in the water at all. But, just like when he was racing on television, Coach Nanase seemed much more interested in watching him swim. And his invested interest in watching someone else swim, instead of swimming himself, suddenly made Souta want to swim more as well.

"Still no luck?"

Souta pulled himself out of the water, panting heavily, gripping the edge underneath him tightly. The same, contorted feeling he's had since trying to find a stroke is still there.

"Still no luck."

He lays back on the pavement, arms placed over his head, panting hard.

'Why can't I gets this?'

As he lays there for a moment, he feels someone stand next to him, blocking out the sun rays that press down on his figure.

When he removes his arms, he sees Matsuoka Rin staring down at him, an amused expression draped on his face.

It's enough to make him bolt straight up.

Matsuoka laughs quietly behind him, before he settles down in the lane next to him, legs going into the water.

"I watched your run," Matsuoka says, turning his head to face him slightly. Souta doesn't know what to say.

"It was pretty bad." Matsuoka comments lightly and he feels a spot of indignation swell up in him.

Matsuoka laughs again louder this time and Souta feels his face sag slightly.

"Don't look at me like that, kid. You know it was bad."

They sit silently on the edge of the pool for a moment, legs making tiny circles appear in the water.

"…I don't know what I'm doing wrong." Souta says quietly, looking down at the pool. The movement of the water is making his reflection seem distorted.

"Hm." Matsuoka says quietly next to him, nodding his head.

"You look like your running away from something out there. Like something's chasing you." Matsuoka casts him a look, before turning his attention back to the pool.

"You afraid of the water?"

"No." Souta says, looking down at his hands. He's not afraid of the water. It's never been that.

"So…", Matsuoka says, tilting his head up to look at the sky. A quiet breeze blows through and ruffles his hair slightly, "If your not running from something, you're chasing after something."

His gaze turns back to Souta and he looks at him like he's trying to solve a puzzle. Then, he asks:

"Who are you swimming for?"

Souta feels a bubbling in him, because he's heard this question before, but he's still not quite sure how to answer it.

Matsuoka looks at him quietly before turning towards the water.

"You don't have to tell me who it is, but when you get back in, I want you to do something for me." He stands and Souta follows him with his eyes, feet still dangling in the pool. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Coach Nanase looking at them both intently.

"When you get back in there, I want you to imagine the person your swimming for is out in front of you. Visualize them out in front. See if you can try and catch them. Focus on that view. Find that sight, and you'll be swimming fine, kid."

He stood back and watched him, as if he was waiting for Souta to get into the pool.

Souta looked at him and then, with a determined nod, sank into the water.

'Visualize a person' he thought pushing off from the wall. As he moves, he feels the same sinking feeling he's been getting ever since he started swimming. But as he pushed through it, out in front, something glimmers in his sight.

He doesn't know what it is exactly, but he swim towards it, moving along with the water, getting closer and closer to that sight.

As he makes his turn, the glimmer seems closer than before and as he pulls forward, he can make out its shape.

It's his brother, plowing through the waves of the pool.

'_Catch up with me, kid!'_ the glimmer seems to call out, '_can't swim with me if you can't keep up.'_

So he pushed harder, trying to catch up, trying to see the light of his brother closer than before. But he feels himself slowing down, fading back, and getting tired.

'_It's ok, Souta,'_ he hears beside him, and suddenly there's a second ball of light, glimmer next to him, guiding him along.

'_I'm right here with you,'_ Taisuke's voice hums in his ear, he feels him, feels him right there, as he surges forward towards his brother.

And then he's at the wall.

"Wow!" he hears as he raises himself up out of the water, his breath streaming out of his mouth.

"That was amazing, Souta!" Taisuke says to him, eyes wide as he pulls him out of the water.

Souta grabs a towel and dries off his hair, when an arm is thrown over his shoulder.

"You have to show me how you did that!" Taisuke says in his ear, as he leans into him.

Souta looks up and Matsuoka is standing there, a smile shinning on his face.

"Nice run, kid" is all he says, before he moves, heading back towards Coach Nanase.

For a second, Souta thinks he sounds like his brother.

* * *

"Well, your last swim session of the summer is complete! Are you excited?"

Souta adjusts himself in the car seat, pulling his seat belt on as he turns to face his mother.

"I guess." He says as he settles into the seat, looking out the window.

Through the glass he can see Matsuoka and Coach Nanase talking about something in front of the fence.

They seem to be bickering, Matsuoka gesturing wildly with his hands. Coach Nanase looks like he said something funny because suddenly Matsuoka has stopped talking and his arm is on Coach Nanase's shoulder, laughing in his ear.

Souta smiles slightly before turning away.

"Taisuke is coming back here on Monday to see if he can sign up for the Junior Lifeguard program", he says lightly, keeping his gaze forward. "I was wondering if I come with him."

"Oh?" his mother says and, without looking, he can hear the smile stretched out onto her lips.

"Of course you can! I take it this means you find swimming fun after all?"

He thinks of heat on his skin, water at his back, and concrete under his feet. He thinks of swimming strokes, breathing methods, and people to swim for. He thinks of friends who swim, cheering for teams, and looks that people save for certain people. He thinks of Matsuoka's arm on Coach Nanase's shoulders and feels Taisuke's arm on his.

"Yeah" Souta says, glancing back towards the swim club. "It's fun."


End file.
